The BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG in the USA
(French = BOUVIER BERNOISE or German = BERNER SENNENHUNDE)
The first Bernese Mountain Dogs that we know to have been brought into the United States were a pair imported by the farmer Isaac Schiess of Kansas in 1926. This importer wanted to register the pair with the American Kennel Club (AKC) but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Ten years later, Glen Shadow of Ruston, Louisiana, imported another pair, Fridy v Haslenbach and Quell v Tiergarten. The AKC officially recognized the breed in 1937, and Fridy and Quell were the first Berners registered by them.
In using the name Bernese Mountain Dog for the Breed, the AKC
followed the English who, for some reason, objected to the word
Sennenhund (surely no more difficult a name than Rottweiler, Bouvier
des Flandres, or Komondorok! (The adopted name is rather
arbitrary and certainly is not a close translation of the Swiss
name; but Bernese Mountain Dog they became and so remain.)
The breed increased only slightly in numbers in the USA before 1941, at which time World War II interrupted further breeding and importing. After 1945, importing began again and registrations continued, although not heavily. Then, in 1968, the breed got a boost when the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) was founded. It grew slowly at first, having 33 members in 1968 and not growing to over 100 members until 1971.
(The namesof these families will be added in this location, later.)
The BMDCA held its first sanctioned matches in 1973 and '74, organized by the central California group which became known as the San Francisco Bay Berners. In 1975 the BMDCA was granted 'licensed' status by the American Kennel Club, allowing it to hold its own specialty shows. It produces a monthly newsletter and sponsors other activities devoted to the breed. It provides information for people interested in learning more about the breed, and encourages formation of local groups devoted to the Berner